April 28, 2017

The Presumpscot Regional Land Trust has three volunteer
opportunities for those who are interested in working on spring trail clean
ups, monitoring water quality, and counting migratory fish, can do so by
contacting the land trust at: www.prlt.org/get-involved/.

For the Spring Trail Volunteer Project, there are many
tasks, small and large, and every hour helps. From moving leaves and sticks off
the trail to carrying lumber and shifting large rocks to designing switchbacks,
there’s a task for everyone.

Spring Trail Clean-up Dates:

Gambo Preserve, Gorham - Saturday, May 13

Hawkes Preserve, Gorham - Saturday, May 13

Frog Hollow Preserve, Gorham - Friday, May 19

Mill Brook Preserve, Westbrook - Sunday, May 21

Black Brook Preserve, Windham - Saturday June 10

Cummings Preserve, Gorham - Saturday, June 10

Little River Preserve, Gorham - Saturday, June 17

Pringle Wildlife Preserve, Windham - Saturday, June 24

All clean-ups happen from 9 a.m. to noon.

If water quality is your passion, join the Presumpscot
Regional Land Trust to volunteer to collect water samples to help us keep the
waters in our region clean. Your efforts will build on over 20 years of work by
the Presumpscot River Watch (now a program of the land trust), collecting data
on dissolved oxygen and bacteria throughout the Presumpscot River Watershed.
These are all key indicators of the health of aquatic ecosystems for both animals
and humans. The sampling season begins with a training led by the Maine
Department of Environmental Protection on Saturday, May 6th at the University
of Southern Maine, Gorham campus.

There are then 10 sampling days, every other Saturday,
starting in late May. Each sampling day will generally go from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30
am. The trust asks that volunteers be available for at least half of the
sampling days on the following Saturdays:

May 20, June 3, June 17, July 1, July 15, July 29, August 12,
Augusta 26, September 9 and September 23.

For those who want to be involved with counting of migratory
fish, The Presumpscot Regional Land
Trust is a partner with the University of
Southern Maine Environmental Science and Policy Department that provides critical
data to estimating the alewife population in Casco Bay.

Alewife lives in the ocean and spawns in freshwater systems
and they are important to the Gulf of Maine ecosystem. In spring, they make
their way from the ocean into the Presumpscot River and Mill Brook so they can
reproduce in Highland Lake before returning to the sea. This is the largest and
most productive alewife run in Casco Bay.

Volunteers will count fish at the Highland/Mill Brook Dam as
they migrate upstream, which is typically May to early June. It is a simple and
exciting way to volunteer while offering a backstage pass to an exciting
natural phenomenon. No experience is needed and a short training session will
be provided. The time commitment is also short, as count slots are just 30
minutes long.

If you have questions or would like more information, please
contact Stewardship and Outreach Coordinator, Toby Jacobs at: toby@prlt.org or at: 839-4633.

AUGUSTA — Legislation that would ban the use of handheld
devices while driving cleared one of the major hurdles to becoming law on
Thursday, when a bipartisan majority of the Legislature’s Transportation
Committee voted to recommend the bill’s passage in the House and Senate.

Maine law already prohibits texting while driving, but
other uses of handheld devices are legal. That discrepancy makes enforcement of
the anti-texting law nearly impossible.

Diamond’s bill — LD 1089,
“An Act To Prohibit the Use of Handheld Phones and Devices While Driving” —
bans totally the use of handheld devices, except to communicate with law
enforcement or emergency responders. It would allow the use of hands-free
devices, and of cellphones set to a hands-free mode.

“Drivers deserve to know that their fellow motorists are
paying attention to the road, not to their smartphones,” said Sen. Diamond.
“This law will make our roads safer, reducing crashes and saving lives.”

Pat Moody from the American Automobile Association (AAA)
testified in favor of the bill, saying that the current spike in highway
fatalities is directly attributable to cell phone use. Additionally, use of any
handheld device quadruples the chance of a traffic accident. The AAA
enthusiastically supports the bill.

Sen. Diamond has been an outspoken advocate against
distracted driving. He sponsored two bills, both of which signed into law,
banning texting while driving and making distracted driving a moving violation.

The bill now moves to the Senate for an initial vote,
followed by votes in the House of Representatives.

An
exciting assembly was held at Raymond Elementary School (RES) to announce the
official launch of their playground project. As a reminder, RES is the
recipient of the military’s Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) which will help
with the building of the new improved playground space. The Maine National
Guard will begin their two-week training soon, making many of the necessary
improvements.

The
school assembly focused on using this unique opportunity to demonstrate to the
students’, their resilience and the idea that if they see something that needs
change, they can be the one to make it happen.

Thanks
to a generous donation from Messer Truck Equipment in Westbrook, the children
and staff

got to go home from the assembly, with a bracelet that contained the
message, “Be the change".

The
students and staff also demonstrated their gratitude toward the military members
that will be coming to serve the town of Raymond in this fantastic project. To
show their gratitude and to honor the military members who are working on this endeavor,
RES will host a special event for them.

Mark your calendars for a Community Ice
Cream Social that will take place on the afternoon of Sunday, June 25.

The
school will become a military base and therefore no public access will be
allowed to the RES, Jordan Small Middle School or the trail system around the
schools. The last days for access to these properties will be the last day of
school until Sunday, July 2.

An
information meeting will be held at RES on Thursday, May 4 to discuss the
project and answer questions the public may have. All are welcomed to attend.

It’s that time of
year for spring cleaning and it’s also a perfect time to shred those important
documents that you no longer need to keep in your files. But what do you do with
all that paper you no longer need? The Windham/Raymond
School Age Child (WRSACC) Program has the perfect
solution.

WRSACC, a local 501c3 Before and After School Program, is sponsoring
another shredding event on Saturday April 29 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Home
Depot parking lot in Windham. There is no limit on the amount of shredding
that an individual may bring.

WRSACC has been in
business since 2002 and has occupied space in the Windham Schools for a Before
and After Program since then. It offers programs in four locations: Windham Primary
School, Manchester School, Windham Middle School for a Cafe Teen Program and
Raymond Elementary School.

These sites are
all state licensed by the State of Maine and Nationally Accredited by COA
(Council on Accreditation). The organization hires up to 20 staff members,
depending on the enrollment and it employs local high school students. There
are also volunteers from the local colleges.

Enrollment for
the 201-2017 school year is approximately 120-140 students. The summer program
enrolls between 25-35 students and is located in Raymond. Services are offered
all days of the week to include: vacation weeks, teacher workshop days, storm
days etc., weather permitting. Programs are not provided during Christmas break.

WRSACC, whose motto is: “Building quality, affordable child care, one
family at a time,” offers homework time where nutritious snacks are
provided as well as outside time, enrichment time, and free choice in
activities. The program also offers Girl Scout troops at two of the sites and
the staff has been trained to be leaders of these troops.

WRSACC strives to never
have a child go home alone. Being in the schools also helps many of the
children in their daily transitions from place to place. The organization also offers
some scholarship money for families that apply and qualify.

Besides the
annual shredding event, other various fundraisers are held each year such as a
Santa's Workshop Event, funds raised from pizza sales, and Parent's Night Out.

This
year’s shredding event is sponsored by Business Book-Keeping Solutions Inc.,
Hall Implement and Cumberland County Federal Credit Union. The organization is
still looking for a couple more businesses that may be interested in being
a sponsor.

Donations can be sent to: WRSACC, P.O. Box 839, Windham, ME 04062. All
proceeds raised from this project will be matched by Modern Woodmen - up to
$500. For more information contact President Donna Cobb at: 892-2002

The
RSU14 Windham/Raymond District Art Show opens on Monday, May 1 from 5:30 p.m.
to 7:30 p.m. at Windham High School, located at 406 Gray Road. The opening
night will feature a display of artwork from students grades K-12, high school
musicians performing throughout the halls, artwork demonstrations, and a
collaborative performance from the Windham Chamber Singers and Third Grade
Chorus in the auditorium.

In
addition to the opening night celebration, the Art Show will be on view to the
public throughout the week, May 2 - 5, each day from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Come
and join the festivities to celebrate the young artists in our community.

A few weeks ago a meeting took place, at which time, council members and the
public heard from Planning Director Ben Smith on what was termed, an
introductory session on form based codes and how they apply to the 21st
Century Downtown Plan. In a follow up meeting that took place more recently, members
of the Town Council listened to an updated presentation by both Director Smith as
well as Kara Wilbur, representing the Maine Design Shop. The purpose of the
meeting was to further enlighten council members and the public on the
specifics of the proposed code changes, by providing a more detailed look at
the cause and effect.

Wilbur
presented scenarios to help everyone understand what these developments and the
application process would look like, and how that would all potentially work
under form based codes. In a recap, Wilbur stated, “The hope was creating a
form based code that is a more simple predictable set of regulations that
people can easily absorb, understand, know what is expected and get their
projects through the process with outcomes that are in keeping with the process
that you all want as a community.”

Working
from the town’s planning process, an understanding was gained about what the
hopes were for this area and the desire to work with people to understand the
concepts of character based codes. “We’re trying to peel back some of the
regulations that don’t contribute to character and simplify the ordinance so
that it is known what can be expected and get through the process,” explained
Wilbur.

Using
a map color coded by district, a number of areas were discussed and examined
that included, but were not limited to, lot dimensions and where a building
goes on a lot. “This is allowing for a mix of building types and creating mixed
use buildings closer together to create a walkable street neighborhood,” said
Wilbur. Within this neighborhood, for example, there may be store fronts facing
the street. “Some areas or districts have been identified where there may be a
retail street with a flexibility of use to those with more than one story or
depending on lot size,” she continued.

“In
short, the idea here is, each one of the identified character districts, will
go from a lower level of density to a higher level. This is a subset of a whole
range of very rural, undeveloped properties, to a very urban kind of
development you don’t see in town today. The idea is, we will be allowing for
more things to happen using this process,” concluded Smith.

Council
members agreed, after having numerous questions and concerns answered, that
changing the land use ordinances to a form based code would encourage current
businesses to flourish and/or expand. It will also make North Windham a more
attractive option for new businesses to pursue development. This could
potentially increase property values while lowering tax burdens on residents,
something that has long been a sore spot.

April 21, 2017

The Windham Public Library is pleased to announce it is
the recipient of a $30,000 grant from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation.
The grant will be used to partially fund an estimated $338,000 project to
reconfigure the library’s circulation desks. The project will combine two
circulation desks into one, add two small meeting/study rooms upstairs, add a
quiet reading area, and create a better defined teen area. The Stephen and
Tabitha King Foundation was created in 1986 to provide support for Maine
communities. The Foundation is a private
non-profit organization that promotes strengthening and supporting communities
and draws upon the values and spirituality of the founders. The Foundation has
a special interest in organizations and people who have fewer options to the usual
channels of resources, focusing on community-based initiatives in the State of
Maine only.

The Windham Public Library
appreciates the generosity of the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation and is
looking forward to getting the project underway this summer.

Have
you ever wondered about all of the stories that you have heard concerning
Holistic Health Care and all of its different “strange sounding” names.

Practitioners
of Holistic Health Care are once again offering our annual Wellness Fair, to
the Sebago Lake Area residents. For 2017 we are offering 18 vendors of Holistic
Health Care. We are also offering numerous workshops and presentations about
Holistic Health Care.

We
are coordinating this year’s Fair, with the Earth Day celebrations, and we are
offering information of the environmental efforts by the Portland Water
District.

Holistic
Health Care is a non-invasive, no-drugs form of helping people to heal. It
ranges from Therapeutic Massage to Reiki as well as Herbal solutions. It also
includes meditation practices, psychic readings and many other practices of natural
healing techniques. All of these methods have come down to us from the ancient
cultures from around the world. All have been used and improved for many
thousands of years.

If
you are curious and interested about natural health care modalities, please
come by and talk to us. You may be pleasantly surprised by the gentle, inner
peace that you will find here.

We
are also offering an additional incentive. If you bring a non-perishable, non-essential
home item, and donate it (These items are being gathered for the St. Ann’s
Church Pantry), we will give you a free raffle ticket, to be used at any of the
vendors’ tables.

It’s
that time of year for new beginnings, a new growing season and a time of
awakening. Join us at the Wellness Fair and perhaps you will experience one or
more of those springtime gifts.

This
event is free and open to the public and will take place at St. Ann’s Episcopal
Church, 40 Windham Center Road in Windham from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

AUGUSTA - Windham resident and Lisbon Falls Christian
Academy student, Olivia Ground served as an Honorary Page in the Maine Senate
on April 11, as the guest of Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham. Olivia had her
picture taken with Sen. Diamond during a break in the Senate Session.
Sen. Diamond extends invitations to honor roll students from the area’s
middle and high schools as a way to recognize their strong academic performance
and foster an interest in civics.

The Honorary Page Program gives students an opportunity
to participate in the Senate and interact with legislators. Honorary Pages see
what it is like to work on the floor of the Senate and be part of a legislative
session. Pages perform such duties as delivering messages to senators and
distributing amendments and supplements in the chamber. Students from third
grade through high school are invited to serve in the Senate Chamber as
Honorary Pages when the Senate is in session. For more information or to
schedule a visit, call Sen. Diamond at: (207) 287-1515.

Frederick Douglas Williams, Esq. became
an honorary member of the American Legion Post 148 and the Windham Veterans of
Foreign Wars Post 10643 last week in an informal ceremony at the Windham
Veterans Center, with a large group of veterans in attendance. For over an
hour, Tuskegee Airman Frederick Williams of Windham regaled the crowd with
stories and opinions from his military experiences and fascinating life over
his 95 years.

“I wanted to be in a bomber, especially
a B-17,” said Williams.

Williams was one of the first African
Americans to be trained as a World War II military pilot in the US Army Air
Corps. They were named Tuskegee Airmen after the predominately black college,
Tuskegee Institute/University. Although that made him unique in itself, he also
was a Baptist minister, a professor of law at Saint Joseph’s College and district
governor for Lions International. He isn’t more proud of one thing over the
other.

“It was democracy in action,” he told
the crowd. “It is the brotherhood of man. I was the first Negro in the history
of Maine to join the bar. That’s not a pride thing, that’s a sad thing.”

Williams described the difference between
one Army with two branches, one black and one white, and the difference now: “It’s
one Army - one Navy.” After serving in World War II, he was recalled for the
Korean War and served again.

“It all shows we are one nation. Greek
American, Japanese Americans, that’s race, not Americans,” he said. “Color is not a race. White is not a race.
Black is not a race, it’s a beautiful color.”

When given the Certificates of Lifetime
Membership, he said, “You guys honor me. You make me cry.”

He received the honor from Commanders
Willie Goodman and Mel Greenier with mixed emotions.

“We Negros, Puerto Ricans, Spanish, we
have all served this country in every war mostly in subservient roles,” he
said. “Until Eleanor Roosevelt said, ‘Franklin, come on let them go to school’.”

“It was hell getting in, but we were
proud,” he added.

“He served his country proudly and he’s
an inspiration to us all. If you spend any time at all with Fred, you’ll leave
with a smile and I guarantee you’ll learn something,” said Commander Willie
Goodman, from the VFW Post 10643.

Williams is very critical of the new
president and the possibility of a future war. “He doesn’t know when we were
carrying 50 pound bags on our backs, knee deep in water so you can hardly walk
coming on that beach. I turned back to see Jim and he had no head. He doesn’t
know.” Williams described war as evil. He also demanded that everyone read the
Bill of Rights five times.

Williams is a part of Windham history as
well, having served on the Windham Select Board, where he made $10 per meeting
and joked about it with the veteran who served on the committee that set the
pay rate. He has lived in Windham for 31 years.

He is being honored later this month in
Augusta for a Lifetime Achievement Award.

April 14, 2017

The
warm spring weather did not stop the 40 plus individuals from attending the Wednesday,
April 11, public forum and panel discussion on the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
held at the Windham Public Library from 6 to 8 p.m.

The
intention of the public forum was to inform, educate, and discover how one can
be a part of the discussion and debate surrounding the ACA; what to expect in
the future as well as what steps an individual can take to be an active
participant in the development of affordable healthcare

Briefly,
ACA - often referred to as Obama Care - is a law that was enacted in 2010 to
ensure that all Americans have access to affordable healthcare. Since its inception
there have been over 60 legislative and judiciary challenges. The Supreme Court
has upheld it. Recently, the goal to repeal and replace the ACA failed in
Congress.

With
the expectation that the debate surrounding the various issues of ACA will
continue, the public forum, with a panel of seven experts were available for
questions and answers - as well as a lively and civil discourse with the
community.

Genevieve
Pluhowski was co-organizer of the event and moderator for the evening and she
introduced the members of the panel. They included the following:

Dr.
Jane Pringle, Board-certified in internal medicine, member of the Maine House
of Representatives from 2012 to 2014 and past Medical Director at Unum Life
Insurance Company. Dr. Linda Sanborn, retired physician in family medicine and member
of the Maine House of Representatives, from 2008 to 2016 (Gorham).

Gordon
Smith, Esq., Executive Vice President of Maine Medical Association since 1993
and leading expert in the field of responding to the opioid crisis in Maine.

Lori
Parham, PhD, Maine State Director of AARP as well as past senior advisor to
AARP's Executive Vice President in Washington D.C.

Kate
Brogan, J.D., Vice President for Public Affairs at the Family Planning
Association of Maine.

Dr.
Philip Caper, Board member of Maine AllCare and of Health Resources in Action
as well as past staff member on Ted Kennedy's sub-committee on health.

Topics
discussed included, but were not limited to, the issues faced before the ACA
and how it has changed the healthcare landscape after its inception. The
successes and failures were deliberated as well.

“Before the ACA was enacted, 62 percent of the
population found it difficult to obtain health insurance and 47 percent were
denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions,” stated Sanborn. “There was
also no guard against medical bankruptcy.”

Benefits
that are now covered include mental health, pediatric, prenatal, preventive
care - to include vision and dental to name a few.

Other
unexpected benefits that were expressed by panel members included the fact that
now a person can leave their current job that provides benefits to start their
own business. Improved doctor/patient relationships was noted as a benefit, as
well as how the ACA enables individuals to quickly return to a productive life
after a health care crisis, becoming functioning and contributing members to society.

Issues
that have been presented as disadvantages include, but not limited to, a gap in
insurance coverage, often referred to as the Cliff Effect. High cost of
insurance was also expressed.

The
panel members also spoke about other subjects such as the Medicaid expansion, a
widely popular viewpoint among Maine people that comes with bi-partisan
support. Also discussed were single payer coverage, reproductive healthcare and
cancer screening for both men and women at all 18 Maine Family Planning
clinics, AARP’s support of the ACA, as well as the opioid addiction and crisis.

For
those who experience gap in insurance coverage, it was recommended they contact
the 2-1-1 Maine Search Guide as a resource. Healthcare navigators are available
to help find programs for those who need assistance with healthcare. Consumers
for Affordable Healthcare was also suggested as a resource.

“Although
[it’s] not perfect, there have been many good outcomes as a result of the ACA,”
stated Pringle.

The
next steps and strategies were discussed by all present. Various suggestions
included: joining an advocacy group, contacting your legislative representative
and sharing your personal stories, as well as volunteering were some of the
ideas expressed.

With
the recent passage of the Minimum Wage initiative, Question 4 on the November
ballot, restaurant owners and wait staff across the state, including those in
the greater Windham area, have actively reached out to their law makers expressing
concern regarding the tip credit portion of the legislation.

Becky Crittenden of Cole Farms Restaurant

In
a recent, “Speak to your Legislator” public forum hosted by the Sebago Lakes
Region Chamber of Commerce, owner of Cole Farms Restaurant and Pub in Gray,
Brad Pollard, expressed his concern regarding the new law and its effect on his
wait staff. “The Minimum Wage initiative that passed in
November is having a harmful effect on the wait staff’s wages,” he began. “I am
presently working with my staff as they discuss this issue with their
legislators. This is going to continue to affect them in very
devastating ways if things do not change.”

Briefly,
when the Minimum Wage initiative passed in November, it raised the minimum wage
from $7.50 an hour to $12 by 2020. This included a raise in the subminimum wage
for tipped employees.This raises the
minimum wage for service workers who receive tips from $3.75 an hour to $5 an
hour in 2017. By 2024, service industry workers would be paid a minimum hourly
wage of $12 under the new law.

The
concerns among a vast majority of tipped workers say they often make above and
beyond this hourly wage. “We are already beginning to see a decrease in our
tips,” stated, Becky Crittenden of Cole Farms Restaurant and Pub, a 35-year
veteran in the service industry and a single mother. “The other day, one of my
customers thought I was already making $12.00 an hour.”

Other
concerns include the ripple effect this will have on the customer.
“Realistically, we have to change our prices to accommodate the minimum wage
change,” explained Sam (Samantha) Clapp, manager, wait staff and hostess at
Rose’s Italian Restaurant in Windham. “Although our portion sizes are huge and
the high quality of our food remains the same, we will have to pass on the
increase of costs required by the Minimum Wage Law on to our customers, which
will make for a lot of unhappy Mainers.”

Sam Clapp at Rose’s Italian Restaurant

Wendyll Caisse, owner of Buck’s Naked BBQ,
reiterated Clapp’s sentiments. “In 2024, thanks to the removal of the tip
credit, labor would be at 49 percent at full service restaurants, putting total
expenses at 120 percent of sales in one of the most elastic, economic-demand
industries there is,” explained Caisse. “No restaurant can continually operate
at a loss. The prospect of cutting jobs or raising prices by 40 percent, are
not good answers, but reinstating the tip credit is.”

Receiving
a large amount of complaints, Senator Roger Katz has proposed a bill, L.D. 673,
in an act to restore the tip credit to Maine’s minimum wage law. The law is
co-sponsored by Senator Bill Diamond of Windham.

Approximately
two months prior to the election in November, Senator Diamond began to receive calls
from those employed in the food service industry regarding the Minimum Wage
Law. “The more I met and spoke with them, the more concerned I became about how
the law would affect individuals in that industry,” explained Senator Diamond.
“Most of the people I spoke to and who shared the most concerns with me came
from single women.”

Through
his own in-depth research on the Question 4 initiative, Diamond’s concern
turned to action, at which point he decided to co-sponsor the bill, L.D. 673.

Diamond
said that all the individuals who he spoke with, shared their own sincere and
well thought out reasons as to why they want the tip credit reestablished.In regards to studies that have indicated
positive outcomes for raising the subminimum wage, their stories are all the
same. “I am living the life. I can’t take the risk based upon someone else’s
study,” Diamond said of their general responses.

Mike
Tipping, Communications Director at Mainers for Fair Wages, an organization
that is a proponent of the Minimum Wage law and raising the subminimum wage for
tip workers, states that there is unfortunate fear and misinformation surround
this issue. “Voters approved the change overwhelmingly, it’s phased in slowly
over the next decade with lots of time for evaluation, the preponderance of
evidence shows it will help workers and the restaurant industry and it deserves
time to be allowed to work.” Tipping said.

According
to the Fair Maine Wage website, the raise in subminimum wage works well in
seven other states (Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and
Washington) where wait staff make the regular minimum wage, plus tips and the
menu prices are no higher than in other states. The website also states that
there are many reasons to end the unfair subminimum wage for workers who get
tips. These include unpredictable earnings and sexual harassment.

Obviously, there are
always two sides to every story, each a valid perception to be considered. The
trick is finding the position that works the best for everyone. Diamond stated
it more succinctly, “[Finding a way] to support the greater good that doesn’t

On April 7, 2017, a ribbon cutting
ceremony took place at 785 Roosevelt Trail, Windham, where the old Evergreen
Credit Union building previously served its members since 200; and this is
where the institution’s new building now stands. The newly constructed, environmentally
friendly, energy efficient facility is the first of its kind in Windham and is
the flagship of the other branches. Listed as a qualified LEEDS (Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design) structure, it also stands as a testament to
Windham’s vision for infrastructure redevelopment and a benchmark in keeping
with the 21st Century Downtown Plan.

Using geothermal and green energy,
LED (light emitting diode) lighting and planting with adoptive landscaping, are
just a few of the highlights and solutions for the new branch’s sustainability.
“There are different LEED certifications and they are classified as silver,
gold and platinum. We are going for the silver because there is a lot involved
in achieving the others. There are a lot of other things we would need to do to
qualify for that and we felt it wasn’t prudent at this time. It is quite
expensive also because it involves installing technology,” explained Senior
Vice President of Retail
Branch Administration & Operations, Tim
Verreault

Jason Lindstrom, the new CEO replacing
interim CEO Verreault, has had a lot on his plate; not only with having just
moved here from Virginia but also overseeing the financing of the new building
since his hiring in November. With 23 years of credit union experience he is up
to the challenge. “The building was constructed to specifications to meet LEED
certification criteria, a process that can take up to three months. There is a
whole long process after we open, where they come in and utilizing a checklist,
make sure that we meet the standards,” he explained.

In addition to being green, there
are some added modern conveniences for members. There is a coin counting
machine which will count coins and then issue a ticket that can be taken to tellers
for deposit. It can also be used by non-members, in which case a seven percent
fee will be applied to the total amount of the ticket. In addition to this, tellers
will be using much more technologically advanced cash machines called cash
recyclers. “What that allows us to do, for example, is to take a deposit from a
member and feed it into the machine where it will be automatically counted. The
same happens when a deposit is made. Mixed denomination bills can be placed in
the machine and will be counted with a100 percent accuracy. It also distributes
coins. This will cut down on long lines and increase efficiency”, shared
Lindstrom.

This facility, which was completed
on time and on budget, is much larger than the old building - coming in at
4,000 square feet, to accommodate its approximate 23,000 members. This is an
increase of the square footage of the old building by more than half. To
further increase efficiency, two additional drive-through lanes were added
making a total of three, with room for a fourth if necessary down the road.

John Murphy, President and CEO of
the Maine Credit Union League, who oversees 58 credit unions and 685,000
members state-wide stated, “It’s built the way people want to do business
today: no cattle lines. People also want to come in and get problems solved
within a comfort level while being provided the assistance they are looking
for. So it designed to do both”.

As for any changes in personnel,
things will basically remain the same. “Actually we will have some of the
part-time help go full-time, to be sure we have coverage and then evaluate to
see how busy it gets and then go from there,” explained Lindstrom.

Branch
Manager for five years, Patty Ross could not readily find the words to describe
her new environment - but managed eventually to state, “This is absolutely
breath taking! It’s over the top and I’m pretty proud.”

Before the cutting of the ribbon,
Tim offered accolades to, among others, the builders and the architects. Also
included was the appreciation of Windham Mall owner Ray Wise, for providing
space on the parking lot to allow for a temporary facility so that the credit
union could continue providing uninterrupted services to its members during
construction.